To Loose the Fateful Lightening
by Romula Linders
Summary: Aurora was growing tired of being known as the legendary Sleeping Princess. The one who's prince had died for. The one who always needed to be rescued. Stuck in the shadows of her heroic friends. Can a certain roguish pirate of dubious intent help her see that she is more than what she seems?
1. Chapter 1

**To Loose the Fateful Lightening**

"**From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and your selfish disdain for others made me realize that you are the last man on earth I could ever be prevailed upon to marry." **

**-Lizzie Bennett**

**A/N: So this is my FIRST ever Once fic and it's a bit ambitious considering it's a Hook and Aurora fic. I actually do like this couple. (I also like Hook with Red and Emma as well and I read a really good Hook/Wendy fic. I'll post the titles so that you dearies can find them. I myself will probably try my hand at them as well. Let me know what you guys think of this okay? Im a little nervous) **

For the upteenth time, Aurora stumbled. And for the upteenth time, Mulan steadied her.

"Are you okay Princess?" the warrior woman asked. The gentleness in the question caused Aurora to flush with embarassment.

"Shoes," Aurora muttered. It was their blasted fault she kept tripping. They were delicate and fit for well…a princess. They weren't made for long treks through field and forest.

"Careful," came a drawling, mocking voice from just behind them. "Sleeping Beauty here isn't used to being vertical. Are you Princess?" There was a wicked grin on his face and dark humor lurked in his blue eyes.

Even Aurora couldn't fail to miss the hidden innuendo. The anger and bitterness that was present ever since Phillip had died flared hotly. More than a little mortification washed over her making her clench her fist as she stood helpless in her shame, hating it and hating herself. To make matters worse, Mulan drew her sword and Snow White and her daughter flanked the pirate and pinned his arms behind his back, jerking them up so that he winced in pain.

"He's dead on your word Princess." Mulan said, driving the point of her sword a little deeper for emphasis. Hook blanched.

"Come now Ladies if you kill me you'll never get your precious compass." He inclined his head towards the beanstalk. "I'm a handy man to have around in case things get ugly."

The murderous giants. Of course. Emma sighed in frustration and released his arm. "Shit he's right. We need him." She looked at the infamous Captain Hook dead on and added: "For now." Hook merely smirked at her.

Snow White released his other arm with a snort of disgust. Mulan however kept her sword pointed at the pirate and refused to move it. She was just petty enough to enjoy the way Hook's face paled.

"Mulan?" Snow White laid a hand on her shoulder. "Emma's right. We need him."

"He insulted Aurora's honor. He has taken many lives. He should die."

"Can't argue on the dying part," Snow said with hard look at Hook, "but not today. There are more important things. Like my grandson."

Aurora watched as Mulan put her sword (reluctantly) away. She was sure she would spontaneously combust from sheer embarassment. Rescued. Again. Dismissed. Again.

She walked towards the base of the beanstalk where they had decided to make camp for the night before beginning their climb and sat down, curling her feet under her. She watched the heroes set up camp, after of course making sure that Hook was secure and wouldn't be going anywhere.

She of course just sat, watching from the outside, and her already fragile sense of self worth that had begun to crumble as she watched Phillip die for her shattered unbeknown to everyone but for a roguish pirate who caught the fleeting glimpse of pain on her face before she masked it to accept the food Mulan brought her with a polite nod.

Watching her, Hook felt the first stirrings of compassion he had felt in a long while.


	2. Chapter 2

**To Loose the Fateful Lightening**

"**Forgiveness is where Love and Justice come together."**

**-Belize**

**A/N I would like to thank everyone who has looked at this. Furthrmore the three of you who have favorited it after only one chapter, your faith means a lot to me and I hope I don't disappoint. Thank you as well to all my followers you guys rock. **

**Also…yes I watched the Episode Tallahassee. It was amazing and I loved it and I DO ship Hook and Emma but for the purposes of this story I am just going to go ahead and continue with my original plan. It is after all A/U fan fiction. **

**-Rom**

Killian awoke the next morning in the worst mood he'd been in since he'd lost Milah and sailed to Neverland. He'd slept fitfully, his dreams filled with the sad, dark eyes of the princess who was being gently woken by her bodyguard. It made him think of his own awakening: a not-so-gentle boot in the ribs from Snow White's feisty blonde daughter, the lovely Emma. He grinned (he'd always admired a woman with spirit) until he caught a glimpse of Aurora's haunted face. The dreams came back to him with startling clarity.

_They were at the edge of something large and green. She stood far too close for his comfort. The twisting dread in his stomach reached its peak. Alarms rang in his head. _

_I did nothing while he died. I let him die without lifting a finger. Her voice…so broken. _

_Aurora there was nothing you could have done. You could not have fought the wraith. _

_I could have tried. I could have tried…_

_And she stepped off the edge while his heart shattered irreparably. He'd failed her. _

Just then, Aurora caught his gaze and for a moment curiosity completely replaced the near constant pain. Seeing another emotion on her face even for the briefest moment twisted something in Killian's gut. A thought passed his mind, one so quick that he automatically dismissed it and he winked at her.

"Like what you see Princess?" he called. He winked when she straightened her shoulders indignantly and turned her back to him.

"We need to start climbing." Mulan said.

"Not that simple Ladies." Killian said, amusement lacing his voice.

"Evil giants who grew magical portal beans. Why doesn't anyone go up and grow some more?" Emma asked.

Killian regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. Pragmatic that one, he thought, and as such completely unsuited for this world.

"Because," he said somberly, "one giant survived. "The strongest and most terrible of them all. And we'll have to get passed him to-"

"Get the magic compass." Snow White finished, a rueful smile on her lips.

"Indeed," Killian grinned at her. "the treasure remains. And amongst it is the compass. Now, it will guide us to your land. Cora has the means to open up a portal with the wardrobe ashes but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it, we steal the ashes from her, then we're on our way."

"How do we know you're not just using us to get the compass for Cora?" said Aurora's bodyguard. The women looked levelly at him.

Killian regarded her for a moment. Maybe there was intelligence there. He wondered briefly if she would ever consider piracy before he spoke.

"Because you four are far safer company." He said sincerely. Cora had terrified him from the moment he'd met her. She reminded him too much of Rumplestilskin and he would never fully swear allegiance to anyone who resembled the crocodile in words or deeds. "All I need is a ride back. I'll swear allegiance to whomever gets me there first. There is…one more thing. The beanstalk is enchanted to repel intruders. I've got the counter spell from Cora. Would one of you ladies mind?" He gestured to his hands.

He was surprised when it turned out that Snow White walked over to him and untied him. She really was breathtakingly beautiful and worth admiration. Unable to resist, he leaned in and said: "I thank you, milady." He winked teasingly at her, enjoying the fact that she didn't rise to the bait.

Not quite what he'd had in mind when he'd left his crew behind to seek his revenge, but Killian had to admit that he was rather beginning to like being surrounded by four beautiful women who, to some degree (less then what they thought) held his fate in their hands. They were a weary and suspicious lot (and rightly so) not trusting his motives, and they were creative, having threatened to make him Ogre food forcing him to tell the truth. And yet, being around them, for just a moment, he had no thoughts of revenge or nightmares. It was a moment of enjoyment that he reveled in and when he caught Aurora's curious gaze again, he grinned broadly at her in a rare moment of selflessness, simply wanting to share something nice with someone else. Her beautiful eyes widened and her cheeks flushed pink before she turned back to look at the beanstalk.

His interest peaked and he had a sudden urge to talk to her, this little princess who's existence had been thought to be more legend than fact. Who naively thought he'd been telling the truth about who he was. He remembered being oddly touched by that. Looking at the regal set of her shoulders and the stand offish way she carried herself, Killian thought that maybe it was time to see what made Sleeping Beauty tick and if he'd been truly honest with himself, he would have known that he wanted to perhaps ease the sadness that lurked in her eyes.

A/N: I take no credit for the actual dialogue I lifted from the show J just saying….


	3. Chapter 3

**To Loose the Fateful Lightening**

"**When your heart breaks you should die."**

**-Harper Pitt**

**A/N: Okay first of, Josh Dallas TOTALLY tweeted me back which is AWESOME. Ahem…sorry just had to share that. The second thing is that I have been trying to figure out where to take this story because Hook and Aurora seem to get mixed reviews. I think I know where its going. Captain Swan seems to be the main pairing. And I actually really love it but I want to finish this before I write some Captain Swan goodness. **

**Thanks as always to my followers, favoritors and reviewers. I love you! I am also on twitter at desireenconway**

"It should be me," the little princess demanded.

"You, you haven't fought in any battles," snapped her body guard.

"This is about us getting home to our loved ones why would you-?"

"Because I have no loved ones. If I fail you can still go home."

"It's me, I'm going," said Emma.

More protests.

Killian fought the urge to groan and thought longingly of his ship and his crew. Life was so much simpler back when all he had to do was say a command and it was obeyed without question.

When he'd cheekily suggested they fight amongst themselves for a shot at going with him to meet certain doom he'd envisioned something far naughtier than a bunch of women snapping at each other. He was daydreaming about half naked women when her voice rung out loud and clear and completely obliterated his reverie.

"I'm going and that's final."

After days of barely hearing her speak and even then sometimes barely above a whisper, her voice startled him and he found himself gaping at her as she strode towards him, her face set in determined lines and her shoulders squared back. He got a glimpse of the queen she might have been if she hadn't become the Cursed Princess and was struck for a moment by how beautiful she was when she wasn't wearing her perpetual broken look. Watching her approach him, Killian felt something akin to respect before he ruthlessly squashed it. He would _not_ go down that path again. It no longer existed for him.

He shook his head to clear it and put on his usual smirk. "Highness," he bowed low, and the was a mocking edge to it that he was quite proud of. She said nothing, she simply held out her hand to him, as though conferring a great honor.

Killian was delighted, he couldn't help it. Perhaps there was some spirit in her that hadn't withered and died. Without his consent, his interest in her grew. He was about to place the cuff around her slender wrist when once again, Mulan's sword found its way to his throat. He was really getting tired of that. He again thought longingly of his crew. If one of them had so much as moved a hand towards his weapon he would have been dead. The warrior woman was making him wish he could run her through with her own blade. Now that would be entertainment. He grinned, and there was something feral about it that thankfully Mulan missed. Aurora didn't however, and for a moment she feared the pirate she had so boldly asked to accompany.

"Aurora what do you think you're doing?" the warrior woman hissed angrily. With her free hand she dragged Aurora away from him in a move to quick to resist. The princess had no choice but to let herself be dragged.

"Have you lost your senses? What are you hoping to accomplish?" Mulan ground out once they were a few feet away from the pirate.

"Climbing the beanstalk." Aurora said, but she couldn't quite meet Mulan's eyes.

"With the pirate? Are you crazy?"

With some embarrassment, Aurora noticed Snow White and her daughter had come over.

"Mulan is right Aurora. It's too dangerous. And it makes more sense for one of us to go." Snow said gently.

Mulan continued to grip her arm. "Phillip told me to protect you. How can I protect you if you go foolishly climbing beanstalks and confronting giants? You have no training. No idea what could possibly go wrong and you are putting your trust in the hands of one of the most dangerous men in the realms."

"I can hear you you know." the man in question said. "Also, I'm flattered."

At the mention of Phillip's name, Aurora drew herself up again and met Mulan's eyes. " Phillip is dead. He isn't here to see whether or not you are keeping your promise to him. I never asked you to stay with me. You are free to make your own choices just as I am free to make mine." She bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out as the longing for him threatened to overwhelm her. She wished he were here. She truly did. She missed him terribly.

_Oh Phillip…_

Quiet.

The four women and one pirate held their breaths as a decision was made that somehow seemed to change the course of all their futures, whether small or large.

Okay so now the plot thickens Im sorry it's a little slow thank you all for sticking with it. Next part will be up shortly.

-Rom


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